


Forever, Wherever

by Yasunori



Series: In the Ruins Universe [3]
Category: Dir en grey, Jrock, MUCC, Nocturnal Bloodlust, the GazettE
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Mpreg, Post-Apocalypse, Wasteland, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 18:32:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6716359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yasunori/pseuds/Yasunori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miya was happy to become a dad. But that was Before. Now, it meant constant worry. Worry about finding food enough for his mate and the baby to be fine, worry about his mate giving birth too soon because of the stress of walking, worry about what he would do when the day came and he had no doctor there to help. He had a safe haven in mind, but would they get there in time?</p><p>Post-apocalypse Alpha/Omega side fic to In the Ruins and Follow Me to Nowhere. Could be read as a stand-alone, but better read after at least In the Ruins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language. Also, I never thought I'd one day would write an Mpreg. But the Miya/Masa combo proved too much to resist. Hope you like it.
> 
> (No smut in this one, sorry. I'll make it up to you in the next one, which will be a request from A2MOM, who wants to know who Kaoru's mate is.)

Miya sat in the near darkness, watching his mate sleep in the moonlight from the window. They were relatively safe and locked in tonight, and there was really no need to keep watch, but he had trouble sleeping nowadays, always scared something would happen to Masa if he fell asleep. The omega’s face was peaceful, and Miya smiled as he snored a little, even managing to sound cute doing that. The omega turned over in his sleep, clumsily, and the alpha reached out to carefully pull the blanket up over his mate’s shoulder so he wouldn’t be cold.

He remembered vividly the day he had found out.

. . . . .

“When are you coming home?” Masa’s voice over the phone sounded different somehow, but Miya couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I told you, baby, I’ll be home tomorrow. The conference is done, it’s just the obligatory party tonight,” he said, lifting his glass to take a sip from his whisky. He had been taking it easy tonight, not wanting to be hung-over tomorrow, so he was still nursing his second whisky carefully. Around him his colleagues had all gone a bit more crazy, and he grinned at a guy from one of the southern offices, Toshiya, who was way past his max and still going strong.

“Can’t you skip it and come home tonight instead?” the omega asked, and now Miya was starting to get a little worried. It wasn’t like Masa to call like this, sounding… anxious was probably the word.

“I’ve already had two drinks, sweetie, I can’t drive. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.”

The alpha furrowed his brow suspiciously at the words. “You sure? You sound weird.”

“Why thank you, that’s a nice thing to say!” The omega pretended to be offended, but Miya knew his mate better than that.

“Well it’s true. What’s up? Don’t make me drag it out of you.”

“And how do propose to do that, since you’re not here? Come home and I’ll tell you.”

“Aha! So there is something to tell,” the alpha exclaimed, pleased with himself. His grin faded quickly though at the omega’s hesitation.

“Well… Yeah.”

Frowning, Miya turned away from the crowd, and slipped outside on the balcony with his drink. He was getting concerned now. Why was the omega so elusive?

“So, what is it? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” The answer was quick, to the alpha’s relief.

“Come on now, just tell me, you’re killing me here.”

“Come home and I’ll tell you. I want to tell you to your face.”

“Tell me now. I’ll keep talking until you tell me.”

“I’ll hang up.”

“I’ll call you back until you go crazy.”

“I’ll turn off the phone.” The omega sounded amused by now, and Miya smiled to himself, sure he was getting him there. He wanted to know, dammit!

“Then I’ll call my cousin and have him bring his phone over to you and hold it to your ear until you tell me.”

Masa was laughing now, and sounded more like himself as he scoffed.

“You’re impossible, you big oaf.”

“Uh-hu, I know, but guess what? You’re stuck with me, my darling mate. If you weren’t prepared to deal with it you should never have let me bite you. So tell me! Pleeeease?”

The omega’s laughter died down again, and Miya could hear him fidgeting over the phone. The worry creeped back – what was his mate up to?

“Ok… But for the record, I wanted to tell you in person, so don’t yell at me later. “

“Honey, you’re making me worried here.”

“No, don’t be… It’s a good thing. I think.” Masa hesitated for a second. “It’s just… I went to the doctor today, you know, about me being queasy for a while.”

“What? You’re sick? You said you were fine!”

“I am! Turns out I’m just… “ A deep breath filled the pause. “…pregnant.”

Miya felt his chin drop. _Pregnant?_ Holy shit! He was gonna be a father!

“Babe?” The omega’s uncertain voice snapped him out of it.

“I’m here baby, you just shocked me, that’s all. Wow! Are you sure? I mean, when are you due?”

“July, they said.”

“Oh, god, wow.” The alpha was kind of breathless by now, and he quickly gobbled down the remains of his drink.

“So… Are you happy?” Masa sounded nervous, and Miya hurried to reassure him.

“Of course I am! I’m… Oh god, I’m gonna be a dad! Holy shit, babe, I’m smiling from ear to ear here. I just wish you were here so I could hug and kiss you.”

The omega laughed, and Miya could hear his relief over the phone. “Yeah, well, you’ve got yourself to blame for that! I wanted to wait, but noooo, Mr. Nosypants had to know,” he teased.

Miya chuckled at that and shook his head. “I know, I know, you’ve always been the wiser one of us, baby.”

“Damn right I am,” the omega giggled. Miya threw his head back and took a deep breath, looking up at the stars before he spoke again.

“Babe?”

“Mmm?”

“I love you so, so much.”

“I love you too. More than anything. Now go party so you can hurry up and get your ass home tomorrow.” Masa’s voice was full of love and warmth, and the alpha smiled to himself as he heard his lover yawn over the phone. He was so goddamn lucky to be blessed with such an amazing mate.

“I will, I’ll be there before you can blink. Now go to sleep, babe, don’t think I can’t hear how tired you are.”

“Mmmm, I will. See you tomorrow. Dad…”

He hung up before the alpha could answer, and he slowly lowered his phone. _Dad. Oh god._ A few deep breaths later, he turned back inside and went up to the bar, ordering himself another drink. Then he climbed a chair and tapped his ring on the glass, silencing the room as his colleagues turned to look at him.

“Ok, guys, you’d better party good tonight, ‘cause we’re celebrating. I just got off the phone with my mate. And god knows what I’ve done to deserve him, or this, but I don’t care. Because I’m gonna be a dad!”

The room erupted in cheers and applause, and Miya grinned from ear to ear as he raised his glass to them all. “Cheers!” he yelled and downed the whiskey all in one go, before raising his arms above his head in a victory gesture, that huge grin stuck on his face for the rest of the night. As he got off the chair, he was surrounded by colleagues congratulating him. He was on cloud nine. _Dad._

. . . . .

He wasn’t grinning anymore. It was the beginning of June, one month to go, and Masa was very, very pregnant by now. And if things had been as they should, as they were Before, that would have been fine. But now, it meant constant worry. Worry about finding food enough for his mate and the baby to be fine, worry about his mate giving birth too soon because of the stress of walking, worry about what he would do when the day came and he had no doctor there to help. And the constant fear that they would be attacked and he wouldn’t be able to protect them.

Masa gave off a cute little noise in his sleep, and the alpha watched him trying to find a position where the big belly wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. Sighing deeply, he went to lie down behind his mate, spooning him and throwing his arm around him, resting it on the baby bump. He felt movement in there, and he closed his eyes, trying to pretend everything would be alright.

. . . . .

They had been walking for nearly four months now, while trying to find a place safe enough for Masa to have the baby. But this world wasn’t safe, and walking was an increasingly slow business. Miya knew he couldn’t really fight people off and protect his mate at the same time, and so they hid when they could rather than meeting strangers head on. Sometimes it couldn’t be helped, but so far, they had been lucky enough not to meet any violent ones. They’d met another couple, the omega eyeing Masa’s belly with sympathy when they passed each other. A group of omegas had passed on a distance, and one of them even came up to the couple and pressed a can of food in Masa’s hand, all the while eyeing Miya warily in case he turned out to be violent.

What worried the alpha was his mate’s obvious pain and the paleness to his face. They had looked for a doctor of course, trying hospitals and everything else they could think of, but like everything else from the civilized world, they all seemed to have gone up in smoke. Miya made sure they rested often, and he carried all their belongings so the omega wouldn’t have any extra weight to carry. But something wasn’t right, and he hated not knowing what to do about it.

As they rested by the road, Miya making sure Masa ate as much as he could, he thought about where to go next. What did they have left to try? Doctors seemed to be to hope for too much, so somewhere safe then. But how was he to know where that was?

The memories he had recalled the previous night sifted through his worried thoughts, and a name popped out. Toshiya. His colleague from down south. He was a bit of a boss there, but he had never put on airs and Miya liked him. They had talked a lot during that conference, and exchanged e-mail addresses before they left. Miya had always meant to get in touch but never had the chance to before, well, the end of the world. But he remembered telling the other alpha where he lived, and the guy had told him he had a summer house up thereabouts, and he should come visit and bring his family when the baby was born. It was probably empty now, but the way Toshiya had talked about it, it sounded safe enough. It was probably their best bet right now, he decided, glancing at the omega beside him. If they could get there in time.

. . . . .

They weren’t too far away, probably just a few days, when Masa just couldn’t walk anymore. His face was contorted in pain, and as much as he tried to be brave, he couldn’t hold back the tears as he collapsed onto the road. With effort, Miya managed to get him standing and support him a few hundred meters to a cottage up ahead, but once there, the omega fell into a heap on the floor. Miya sat down next to him, pulling him in for a hug, gently caressing his back and kissing the top of his head in a feeble attempt to comfort. What the hell where they going to do now?

“I’m sorry,” Masa mumbled through the sobs, “I tried but I just can’t.”

“Don’t be sorry baby, it’s not your fault. It’ll be fine, we’ll figure it out,” the alpha hushed him softly, the lie churning in his stomach. How was this ever going to be fine? They had food for just one more day left, and almost no meds. They would run out of water tomorrow if he couldn’t find more nearby. And to make it worse, he had to leave his mate alone to try to find what they needed. This was so not fine, not by any means.

It was late afternoon, and he held his mate until it was time to tuck him in for the night. When the omega was asleep, he went to sit on the stairs, looking out into the warm summer night. Well, he thought, at least one thing not against them, he didn’t have to worry about them freezing to death anymore. He sighed and buried his face in his hands. How were they ever going to get through this? Losing the child would be horrible, and he didn’t want to think of the possibility, but losing Masa… He would not be able to survive that. The omega was the love of his life, the only thing that mattered to him, and he hated not being able to help him now. He felt like a failure for not being able to take care of his mate, even though he knew the circumstances weren’t exactly normal.

He dozed off now and then, but stayed on the stairs, keeping watch over the road as well as his sleeping lover. In the early morning light, he woke up with a start as he heard a whine from inside. He rushed into the cottage, falling to his knees next to Masa. The omega was clutching his belly and groaning in pain, and as Miya let his eyes wander down he noticed the wet patch under the omega. Shit. It was time.

Panicking slightly, he grabbed the omega’s hand and pulled his head onto his lap. He didn’t know what to do now, there weren’t exactly prophylactic courses to take anymore, and he’d never had any medical training whatsoever. Masa cried out in pain and turned his head to bury it in his alpha’s stomach, trying to breathe in his comforting scent.

“I don’t think you should push yet, honey, please try to hold on,” the alpha tried, keeping his voice steady through sheer force of will. He had to keep it together now, for Masa’s sake. What to do, what to do? Pants. He had to get the pants off so he could see what was happening. Leaning down to kiss his mate softly, he shifted and lifted the omega’s head from his lap. A protesting whine met the action, and he gently caressed Masa’s cheek in response.

“I’m sorry babe, but I need to prepare you as well as I can. Ok? I’ll hold you again as soon as I’m done, I promise.”

Masa sighed but let him move away, and he carefully removed the omega’s pants and arranged the blankets, one on the floor to protect him as well as he could from dirt, and one over him to keep him from getting cold. He got rid of the wet one and thanked the gods they had one extra. He offered Masa some water and tucked a jacket and sweater under his head for a pillow. When he was done he sat back down next to his mate, grabbing his hand and raising it to his lips. His heart ached at seeing that beautiful face in so much pain, his eyes shut tightly as he screamed, pain searing though his abdomen. The omega clutched his mate’s hand in a crushing grip, and all Miya could do was gently caress his face, pulling his hair to the side and out of the way. He felt utterly helpless and useless, and after an hour of this, he was more scared than he’d been in his entire life. Nothing seemed to be happening, the baby wasn’t coming, and Masa was already exhausted and in so much pain. He couldn’t stop the screams from coming, and Miya felt like he was about to cry every time.

In the corner of his eye he saw something move, and he spun his head around quickly to see an alpha standing there, looking at them. In less than a second he was on his feet, a club in his hand, taking up a protective stance between the alpha and his mate.

“You had better step back and leave, you won’t get anything here. We don’t have any food for you to take anyway,” he snapped, trying to scare the alpha off. Fuck, they could so not afford this now. Behind him, Masa whimpered and tried to bite down on a scream threating to leave his lips, and Miya couldn’t help flitting his eyes down to his mate with fear in his eyes. He heard rustling and quickly looked back at the alpha, who was taking off his backpack.

“I said, leave us alone,” he gritted through his teeth, trying to look menacing but looking more ragged and desperate than anything else.

“I can help,” the alpha said calmly, holding up his empty hands to show he had no weapons.

Miya glared at him, suspiciously. “And how would you do that, exactly?” he asked, squinting at the alpha.

“I am… _was_ a nurse. I’m not as good as a doctor, but I can make it easier for him.”

Miya hesitated, he didn’t want to trust an unknown alpha with his mate and their unborn child, but it wasn’t like he had any idea what to do himself.

“Listen, I understand you have no reason to trust me, but if we don’t get started soon, you’ll lose your child and perhaps your mate as well,” the alpha said, looking into Miya’s eyes seriously. Another scream from Masa sealed the deal, and Miya lowered his bat and took a step to the side.

“I’ll be watching, and if you do anything, _anything,_ to hurt him, I’ll kill you,” he said.

The alpha just nodded and got down to business. He opened his backpack and got out some supplies, before he grabbed a bottle of hand disinfectant and cleaned his hands thoroughly.

“Do you have any meds at all? Has he had any meds today?” he asked while he sat down and gently lifted the blanket to see how far things had gone.

“No meds today. And not really, none that will help,” Miya answered, eyeing the alpha carefully as he followed his every move. The alpha nodded in acknowledgement.

“Ok, in my bag you’ll find some painkillers. The small bottle with the green label. Take one out and give it to him, but just one, ok? Those are strong, and more could hurt him and the baby.

Miya took a deep breath and did as he was told, helping Masa swallow the pill before he sat down next to him again and grabbed his hand, anxiously watching the stranger work. He looked like he knew what he was doing, he noticed thankfully, as the alpha re-positioned the omega to give him better access and also put some relief on Masa’s back. Then, he looked up at the omega and smiled warmly.

“Hi there, what’s your name?”

Masa glanced at his mate and grabbed his hand even harder as he answered.

“Mas-aaaa,” the last syllable turning into a pained moan.

“Hi Masa, nice to meet you. You’re doing fine here, just relax and we’ll get you through this, ok? Now, take a few deep breaths for me, will you?”

The omega obeyed, and as the alpha continued to talk him calmly through it, Miya relaxed a bit, grateful for the help. Things didn’t feel as panicked anymore, and even though it took a few more hours, he wasn’t as scared as he had been. The alpha told Masa when to breathe and when to push, and calmly told them that everything was looking fine. When the baby was finally born, the alpha cleared its airways and patted its back until it started screaming. Miya let out a deep breath and Masa sobbed in relief as he heard the sound. The alpha wrapped the baby in a towel from his backpack and handed it to Masa, Miya helping him to sit up so he could hold the little one comfortably. He kept his arm around his mate, a tear slipping down his cheek as he watched the both of them, exhausted but alive. He pressed his lips to Masa’s forehead as his finger grabbed the little hand gently.

“He’s an omega,” the former nurse said softly, and as Miya looked up, the alpha was sitting back on his heals, watching them with a smile on his lips. Masa smiled a somewhat teary smile and leaned his head on his mate’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” he whispered, gazing earnestly at the stranger. Miya bowed his head at the alpha – he didn’t need to say the words, he knew the alpha could see the relief in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it. Nurses, you know. Holy oath to help people and all that,” the alpha joked, before he got up to clean off. “But I would be grateful if you’d allow me to stay here to keep an eye on them for a day or so,” he said and looked at Miya questioningly. The alpha nodded, of course he could stay if he wanted to.

“I’m afraid we have nothing to offer you in thanks,” he said with regret in his voice. The alpha smiled.

“No need. I got lucky a few days back and have found a pretty nice stash of food, so I’ll be fine.”

Miya nodded, and looked back down at the miracles in his arms. He kissed Masa again, leaning their heads together as they both looked down on their child.

“So, what should we name him, _dad?_ ” Masa whispered and looked up at the alpha with a tired smile on his lips. Miya smiled broadly at the word, and then looked up at the stranger who was still cleaning up.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

The alpha looked surprised, and then he chuckled. “Tatsurou. But please, don’t name him after me. It would feel too weird.”

“Ok, so you choose then,” Masa offered. “You deserve something for all your help.”

The alpha smiled softly and kneeled beside them, looking down at the baby. “Ok, but you’ll have to promise to say no if you hate it,” he smiled. He eyed the baby for a long moment, before he finally said “He looks like a fighter. Maybe you should name him Tora?”

The omega smiled and looked up at his mate. “I like it. Our little tiger. What do you think?”

Miya grinned widely and gave the omega a big kiss. “I love it. And I love _you_ ,” he added with emphasis, and pulled the omega closer. Masa leaned into him and yawned just as he was trying to return the sentiment, and the alpha laughed and helped him to lie down again, little Tora lying on his chest. He tucked them both in and gave a little kiss to the tiny head of his son, watching them both fall asleep, before he looked back up at Tatsurou.

“You have no idea how grateful I am,” he started, but the alpha’s laugh cut him off.

“Oh, I think I do. I saw your face when I got here, remember?”

Oh. Right.

“I did look kinda panicked, didn’t I?” he chuckled.

“Just a tad,” Tatsurou admitted with a warm smile. They paused, looking down at the omega and the newborn.

“I had no idea what to do, and I just can’t loose him. He’s everything to me,” Miya admitted quietly.

“I know,” the alpha said, “I can tell. That’s good, it’ll help you get through this. But you really shouldn’t have gone out here in the woods without food, he will need steady nourishment.”

“Yeah, I know. We were hoping to reach a safe haven before… well, before Tora. But it didn’t work out,” Miya sighed.

“Really? Out here?” Tatsurou looked surprised.

“Yeah. A colleague supposedly had a place up here, and on his description it sounded like a good place. Of course, I have no idea if it’s even still there, but we’re out of options. Are you heading south?”

The alpha shrugged. “Anywhere, I guess. I have no goal in particular, I’m just hoping to find someplace worth stopping sooner or later.”

Miya hesitated for a second. It was a risk, but he liked the guy, and he _had_ helped them. He figured he was trustworthy, so he bit his lip and just went for it.

“Do you want to come with us? If this place is as big as Toshiya said, there should be room for you as well.”

Tatsurou looked up quickly, staring at Miya for a few seconds while he thought it over.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that,” he said finally, and smiled.

Miya grinned and suddenly offered his hand.

“Great! By the way, I’m Miya. Nice to meet you.”

Tatsurou laughed and then grabbed his hand and shook it, as if signing a deal.


	2. Chapter 2

Tatsurou turned out to be even more of a godsend as he offered some of his food stash to Masa, so he would be able to feed the baby properly. He also went to find water for them, letting Miya stay by his mate’s side. They soon had to move on though, before food ran out completely, and the alphas found an old cart in a shed and fixed it up so that Masa and the baby could ride on it, at least for a few days until the omega regained his strength. Miya was still worried, as Masa was very pale and slept a lot, and Tatsurou quietly told him it was probably from a combination of the blood loss and lack of food the last few months. It didn’t exactly soothe the alpha’s concerns, as there was nothing he could do to remedy that right now.

As they approached the shore where he was almost certain Toshiya’s place would be, they stopped, looking over the water towards the island. Masa was still sleeping on the cart, and Tora was whining a little but soon settled in and slept.

“Right, so how do we get there?” Tatsurou asked, looking at Miya. The alpha looked exasperated. He hadn’t really thought this through, he realized.

“There was supposed to be a boat here,” he said. “He said there was always a boat on the shore for them to row over when they came up here.”

Tatsurou hummed, looking around. “That probably means someone is there then,” he offered. “If the boat is missing, I mean. It’s a bit risky since we don’t know who it is, but we could try signaling them to see if they’ll come pick us up.”

“Yeah, I can’t see that we have a choice,” Miya said, trying to catch any glimpse of movement on the island. But it was too far away and sunset had begun to set in, and he soon gave up. That also meant they wouldn’t be able to wave a blanket or anything to catch the attention of the people over there, they wouldn’t see it.

“Fire?” Tatsurou suggested, and Miya nodded. He couldn’t think of anything else to use, and so they gathered wood and started to build a fire on the shore. Masa woke up and carefully climbed off the cart to sit down on the shore and watch them, Tora in his arms. Evening had fallen when they were finally done, and they spent a good hour trying to hit a rock on a piece of metal to get a spark to light the fire. When the fire was finally crackling, giving off light and warmth, Miya’s hands were very tired. He sat down next to Masa and put his arm around him, pulling him into his embrace, and they sat watching the flames dance. If this didn’t work, they were done for, but for tonight they could only sit here and enjoy the warmth and closeness of their little family. Masa eventually fell asleep again, wrapped in Miya’s arms, and the alpha looked down on his sleeping mate and son. His emotions were overwhelming, and he couldn’t help a tear trickling down his cheek. He glanced at Tatsurou to see if he had noticed, but the alpha was tactfully looking into the fire, ignoring him. After a while, he got up from his seat.

“I’ll take first watch,” he said, “you should get some sleep with them while you can.”

“Wake me in a few hours then,” Miya said, trying to keep his voice steady, and Tatsurou nodded before he wandered off to keep an eye on the road and the lake.

True to his word, a few hours later he shook the alpha’s shoulders, and they traded places, Tatsurou lying down next to the fire to sleep a little and Miya taking the next watch. It was dawn before anything happened.

. . . . .

The sound of oars came before he could see anything, the morning mist lying thick over the lake, and he quickly woke the others up. They stood next to each other on the shore, Masa holding Tora tight to his chest and hiding him underneath the blanket. They watched carefully until the shape of a boat slowly came out of the mist and stopped to turn its side towards them about a hundred meters out. Four alphas were rowing, their heads turned toward the three on the shore. No one said anything at first. Miya tried to see their faces, to see if he recognized Toshiya, but he couldn’t tell on this distance.

“Who are you? Identify yourselves,” a voice suddenly demanded from the boat. Not Toshiya’s, he noticed.

He exchanged a glance with Tatsurou, before he answered.

“Miya, with my mate Masa and our friend Tatsurou. I know Toshiya,” he added, hoping against hope that the name meant something to the people in the boat.

The alphas talked quietly between themselves for a minute, and then the voice came back. “How do you know him? And how do you know of this place?”

Miya let out a breath. That probably meant they knew who Toshiya was, at least.

“We were colleagues,” he said. “He’s from the south, I worked up north. We met at a conference last November and he told me about this place.”

A little more murmuring, and then the voice again. “Ok, we’re coming in. Step back from the shoreline, keep your distance.”

The boat turned back towards the shore, and they obeyed, stepping back a little. Miya and Tatsurou both gripped their clubs, ready to fight if it came to that, and Masa clutched his mate’s arm with one hand. The boat hit the shoreline, and two of the alphas jumped out, pulling it in and securing it. The other two climbed out as well, and they stood, tensely watching each other. Miya didn’t recognize any of them, Toshiya wasn’t among them, and he fingered the club nervously as he waited for someone to say something.

At that moment, Tora chose to start crying, a loud wail startling them all. Masa hushed him quickly, kissing his little head, but Tora wouldn’t have it. He was cold and hungry, and his little arms flailed as he yelled his lungs out. Miya watched the alphas stare at his son and mate, and he instinctively took a step forward, pulling them in behind him, using himself as a shield.

One of the alphas looked at him, and suddenly smiled, dimples adorning his cheeks and making him look very friendly. “You don’t need to protect them from us, we won’t hurt them. Can I see him? I have a little boy myself,” he said, taking a small step forward. Miya hesitated, but he also noticed how the other alphas seemed to relax, and Tatsurou glanced at him, nodding a little. He carefully stepped aside, enough for the alpha to see Masa and the baby, but close enough to be able to yank his mate back behind him if needed.

The alpha smiled broadly. “Hi,” he said softly, “I’m Kai. And who’s this?” He looked at the baby and then at the omega, who hesitated for a moment before he answered.

“His name’s Tora,” he said quietly, holding the crying baby close.

“Ah, a little tiger, eh? He’s beautiful,” Kai said, cooing a little at the boy. “He’s not very old, is he?”

“Three days,” Miya said, stepping in again and making Kai look up in surprise.

“Three days?! God, you must have been in the middle of the woods…” he said, looking horrified at the thought, and the other alphas murmured behind him. Miya nodded, a serious expression on his face.

“You need some food and shelter then,” Kai said firmly. “Let’s go, we’ve got food and a real bed for you on the island.”

Miya looked at him, confused by the quick turn of events, but he wasn’t about to argue. This guy seemed nice enough, and they hadn’t seemed violent, any of them. They had to risk it.

“What about Tatsurou?” he asked, nodding towards his friend. Kai looked at him, cocking his head to the side as he inspected him.

“Do you know Toshiya as well?” he asked, and Tatsurou shook his head.

“No, I’ve never met him. I only met Miya and Masa three days ago. But I can be useful to you, if you’ll let me.”

“Oh yeah? How’s that?” another of the alphas offered, looking him up and down. Tatsurou turned to the alpha, a glint in his eye as he answered.

“I’m a nurse.”

The alphas looked at him in surprise, and then the guy who had asked lit up in a grin.

“Then hell yeah, you can be useful to us! Come on, let’s just get rid of the evidence of the fire here and then we’ll get going. I’m Kaoru, by the way, pleased to meet you, Mr Nurse.”

Tatsurou laughed, and reached out his hand which Kaoru shook, their eyes meeting for a moment before they let go and the others introduced themselves. Aoi and Yukke shook hands with them, Aoi cooing over Tora, who had luckily calmed down by now and watched the alpha with big eyes, fingers in his mouth.

“He’s adorable,” he said as he smiled at Miya, the alpha finally beginning to relax a little around them. He still didn’t move away from his mate, though, not trusting the others just yet.

Together they covered up the fire and wheeled the cart into the forest, covering it up for now, and then helped the newcomers get into the boat before they kicked it out from the shore and took off towards the island.

. . . . .

A whole group of people waited at the shore, more than any of the new arrivals had seen in months.

“Well, we all saw the fire last night but couldn’t risk coming over in the dark,” Kaoru said. “So naturally they’re all curious to see if we’re bringing someone over, and if it’s someone they know.”

Miya felt several pairs of eyes on him, and he realized his trustworthiness would be judged on this. Could he point out Toshiya, and would the alpha recognize him in return? He hoped the alpha hadn’t changed too much since he last saw him, or this would be awkward. He put his arm protectively around Masa, who was looking paler than usual.

“You ok, honey?” he asked and caressed his mate’s cheek. The omega gave him a weak smile and nodded, but Miya wasn’t fooled. He knew his mate too well, and he knew he would never admit he felt ill until the very last moment. He turned his head and looked at Tatsurou, and the alpha frowned a little, eyeing Masa with a worried crease on his forehead.

As the boat came up to the island, Yukke and Aoi jumped ashore and pulled the boat up and tied it to two large poles, one at the front and one at the back, to keep it steady. The other alphas climbed out, and Miya held Tora while Tatsurou and Kai helped Masa out of the boat. Once he was sure his mate was ok, Miya turned to the people waiting and scanned the crowd for Toshiya. He could feel Kaoru, Yukke and Aoi watching him. And then he finally saw the alpha, coming down the path behind the others. He smiled and waved at his former colleague, who looked surprised but happy to see him.

“Toshiya-san! Sorry to barge in like this, but I was kind of hoping that invitation from the conference still stood? I know this is probably not what you had in mind when you said I should bring the family over, but…”

Toshiya laughed and threw his hand out, grabbing Miya’s, a big grin on his face.

“Miya-san! Of course it still stands, even though I didn’t expect you today,” he teased. Miya felt the slight tension from the alphas behind him disappear, and they were all smiles now.

“And who is this I see?” Toshiya continued, looking down at the baby in Miya’s arms, gently letting Tora grab his finger and smiling. Miya smiled proudly as he watched the alpha makes cute faces at his son.

“This is Tora, and this is my mate, Masa,” he started and turned to his mate, but cut it off right there. Masa was white as a sheet, swaying a little on his feet, and his eyes were unfocused. Miya and Tatsurou both stepped up at the same second, and caught the omega just as his knees buckled and he fainted. Gasps rose from the group around them, but Miya only had eyes for his mate. Suddenly, he froze. A dark stain was growing on the pants between the omega’s legs.

“Tatsurou!” he gasped, and the nurse followed his gaze, realizing the seriousness of it immediately. He swore under his breath, and then quickly looked up at Toshiya.

“He’s gonna bleed out. Do you have clean towels? Hot water?”

“O-of course,” Toshiya said, startled, “up at the house. It’s maybe ten minutes away, can he last that long?” Tatsurou clenched his jaw, and gave Miya a quick glance, before he gave a small shake to his head. Miya gasped, looking at his unconscious mate with panic in his eyes. God no, he wasn’t allowed to die. He couldn’t.

“Do something,” he choked, and Tatsurou gave him a quick nod, already starting to work.

“I’ll need to stop the bleeding first before we can move him,” he said. “Does anyone have anything at all that I can use? A towel? A sweater? Anything?”

An omega dressed in swim trunks stepped up and handed him a towel. Luckily, it was dry and clean, and Tatsurou quickly turned to Masa and started unbuttoning his pants. Tora started crying, and the sound snapped everyone out of the shock.

“Come on, let’s go, let them have some privacy,” Kaoru said, shooing the crowd off, and Kai ordered some omegas to run up to the house and start preparing hot water and towels. Four of them took off at high speed, running to do what they could. The rest walked away, but Kai and Kaoru stayed behind to help. Miya was breathing irregularly, watching Tatsurou work, his chest felt constricted. The baby was crying in his arms, and he was about to break down and cry himself as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Kai crouched down next to him, his eyes soft and understanding as he spoke.

“Here, let me take Tora. I have a son, I know what to do. Let me take care of him so you can be there for Masa,” he said, offering his arms. Miya looked at him, near panic, and then he nodded and let the alpha take the child carefully. Kai stood to the side where Miya could see them, hushing the boy and patting him gently on the back, cooing a little to calm him.

Miya turned to his mate, Tatsurou pressing the towel between his legs to keep him from bleeding out. He instructed Miya to lift the omega and kept the towel in place as they started walking towards the house as fast as they could in this position. Kai and Kaoru followed and told them where to go, and as they approached the house an omega waved them in and through to a small room at the back, with a bed and a stack of towels on the nightstand. Just as Miya put the unconscious omega down on the bed and stepped back to give Tatsurou room to work, another omega came in with a big bowl of steaming water.

“Good, keep it coming,” Tatsurou ordered. He dug up some supplies from his bag, including needle and thread, and made sure to wash his hands thoroughly before he got to work.

. . . . .

An hour and a million tears later, Miya watched through a veil of tears as Tatsurou washed off and turned to him with a tired smile.

“I’ve done what I can. He’s stabilized, but he’s lost a lot of blood. Since we don’t have any IV to give him, all I can do is try to keep him hydrated and hope for the best,” he said. Miya nodded, and sat down next to the omega, leaning his head on his small shoulder.

“Please don’t die, baby. I need you. Tora needs you. Fight for us,” he whispered. He didn’t look up or move from his spot when the nurse left the room.

. . . . .

Tatsurou found the rest in the dining room, where they waited anxiously. He noticed an omega holding Tora, Kai sitting next to him with a child of around a year old on his lap. So that must be his son and his mate then. The omega looked up at the nurse and smiled, and then looked down at Tora again. The boy was sleeping, probably fed and changed by now, and Tatsurou felt sure he was in good hands.

Toshiya stepped up to him as he entered, watching his reactions nervously.

“How’s he doing?” he asked, bracing himself for the worst.

Tatsurou sighed a little, and shook his head. “I don’t know, he’s stabilized for now, but it’s touch and go. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Toshiya asked, and the alpha thought about it for a second before he answered.

“Well, he would need an IV, which I’m guessing you don’t have?” he said, looking at Toshiya questioningly and sighing when the alpha shook his head. “Since we don’t have that, we need to keep him hydrated, and try to get some nutrients in him.”

“Will broth do?” Toshiya asked, and Tatsurou stared at him in surprise.

“Well, yeah, if you have it… That would be great,” he said, blinking a little. Toshiya gave a nod to an omega who disappeared into the kitchen, before he turned back to Tatsurou.

“So, Kaoru tells me you’re a nurse?” he said, and at Tatsurou’s nod he continued, “We could really use a nurse around here. Would you consider staying? We can offer food and shelter, and we’re good people.”

A little taken aback, Tatsurou looked around the room at the people gathered there. He assessed their number to be somewhere between 20 and 25, and there were both alphas and omegas in fairly equal numbers. The place looked clean, well kept and friendly, and he looked back at Toshiya, assessing him for a moment. What the hell, he could always leave later if need be.

“Sure,” he said. “I’d love to. I need to keep my eye on Tora anyway, since I got to name him and all.”

He was greeted with smiles of relief, and one after one they came up and introduced themselves. He had trouble with the names after the first ten, but he remembered a few at least. Die was easy, he had red hair and a friendly smile, and he also remembered Daichi, Subaru, Yukihiro, Kei and the ones from the boat. He guessed he’d learn the rest soon enough. He also made sure to say hi to Kai’s mate, Uruha, and check on Tora. The boy’s cheeks were rosy, and he was sleeping peacefully in the omega’s arms.

When he rose and turned around, he found himself presented with a plate of food. An omega who introduced himself as Cazqui held another plate for Miya and a bowl of broth for Masa, in case he was awake and able to drink already.

Grateful, the nurse sat down to eat as the omega walked off with the food for the other two. He soon came back, shaking his head. Masa was still asleep and Miya wouldn’t even look at his food, he just sat with Masa’s hand in his and watched the omega’s face. Tatsurou nodded, he’d go in there and try to coax the alpha into eating as soon as he’d finished his meal. While he ate, Kaoru sat down on the other side of the table, cocking his head a little and watching the nurse. Tatsurou met his gaze, a little confounded, but said nothing and kept eating.

“So, this is what a savior looks like,” the alpha suddenly offered, making Tatsurou blush.

“I’m hardly a savior,” he protested, “I just happen to have medical training.”

Kaoru chuckled. “Ok, so not a savior then, but your chosen vocation is in high demand right now,” he said. Tatsurou nodded, he couldn’t deny that the alpha was right. He glanced up at him across the table.

“So what was your profession Before?” he asked as he finished off the last meat on the plate.

“Engineer. Hardly as exciting, but it comes in handy here as well,” Kaoru smiled. Our numbers are slowly growing, and we will need to build more cottages soon to keep up with demand.”

“Mmm, sounds like you’re just as much in demand as me then,” Tatsurou teased, smiling at the alpha, who laughed out loud at that.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he said, grinning. He got up as Tatsurou finished. “See you around.”

Tatsurou nodded, looking after the alpha as he disappeared out the door, before he got up and went to persuade Miya to eat a little.

. . . . .

Five days later, the omega was finally well enough to be awake more than a few minutes to drink some broth, and he had gone over to solid food to everyone’s relief. Miya had hardly slept at all, and though he took care of Tora as much as he could, he was grateful to Uruha for helping out and keeping the baby fed and changed. Right now though, Masa sat propped up on a bunch of pillows, with the baby in his arms, gazing down into those dark eyes and playing with the tiny fingers. Miya had all but passed out next to him, sitting with his head in his hands and trying to keep his eyes open to watch the two.

“You have to sleep, you big oaf,” the omega said, an affectionate smile adorning his lips as he looked at his exhausted mate. “It’s just like you to forget about your own needs.”

“Mmmmff,” Miya mumbled, almost dropping his head.

“Come here, babe, there’s room for the both of us,” Masa tried, and Miya lifted his head groggily as he fought to understand what his mate was saying. Then he got off the chair and clumsily crawled up on the bed next to his mate, Masa scooting closer to the wall to make room for him. The alpha curled up around his omega, putting one arm under his head and pulling his mate and son closer until he had them both in his arms.

When Tatsurou came in to check on them a while later, the whole family was sleeping soundly.


End file.
